For the past year, Hillary Clinton has been at the center of of scrunchie politics, accused of committing the ultimate fashion faux pas for 'any self-respecting New York City woman'.

Previously defying her staff's request to 'ban the scrunchies,' it seems the Secretary of State may have finally traded in her signature hair accessory.

Speaking with Italian Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi Di Santagata, today, the 64-year-old upgraded her favorite style with a black and metallic bejewelled hair tie. But next to the scrunchie, are the paillettes any better?

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While it is true that bejewelled hair
ties are more formal than her usual cotton scrunchies, some believe
that any decorative ponytail-holder firmly belongs in the 'items you're
too old to wear' category.

Popularised during the mid-Eighties,
when Bananarama-loving schoolgirls took the printed soft elastic
hairband to their hearts and heads, the scrunchie, patented by Rommy
Revson in 1994, quickly became the go-to hair accessory of that time.

No more scrunchie? Previously defying her staff's request
to 'ban the scrunchies,' it seems the Secretary of State may have
finally traded in her signature hair accessory decorative hair ties

Shopping her wardrobe: Mrs Clinton seen in the same outfit in September 2012 (left) and April 2012 (right), with a simple decorated hair tie update

Available in a multitude of colors
and fabrics, they were simultaneously the most fashionable and
hair-friendly accessories on the market.

But after a good run, the scrunchie, much like the era's fashions, ultimately became passé as an accessory indicative of an era when side-ponytails and fingerless gloves were considered the height of style.

In a revealing feature by Elle magazine about the
Secretary of State's career trajectory and personal transformation, one
aide explained the reason behind Mrs Clinton's original cotton Eighties look: convenience.

Fashion faux pas: For years, Hillary Clinton has been at the center of of scrunchie politics, accused of committing the ultimate fashion faux pas for 'any self-respecting New York City woman'

'Some of us are looking to ban the scrunchies,' the aide confessed.

'As a chick, it's a big pain in the butt. The weather is different, and you’re in and out of the plane,' she said. '[The staff] gets off that plane looking like garbage most days, but she has to look camera ready.

'She said the reason she grew her hair long was that it's easier. She has options.'